Since experiencing the countryside of France I think we have seen more wildlife in one year than all the time I have spent in Britain. Bees in the chimney, bats in cellar (now rediscovered in the loft), beautiful sparrowhawks taking flight over fields, mummified cats under the floorboards, a cheeky little robin flitting around the forecourt and a house full of flies. Our friends have had spiny poisonous caterpillars following each other tail to tail, looking exotic and invitingly tactile. We may have moles in the garden and had giant hornets swooping through the windows. While Seb was driving back from his mothers, he was nearly attacked by such a deadly looking creature, and these things look evil, all yellow and black and stingy.
We have seen deer in the veils of morning mists, pretty red squirrels gathering breakfast and felt the hoary breath of a bison.....ok now I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture. But it's a wonderful thing to become reacquainted with nature again. The closest I get to it in London are the skinny foxes I see at three in morning around Stoke Newington when I come back from work, oh and the pigeons.
But living in France you also acquire animals, chickens, goats, pigs, dogs, cats, bees, fish ( I would love some Koi carp) and other farmyard stock. And we are both looking forward to having a puppy, something we would not be able to care for adequately in London because of space, time and commitment to caring for another living thing. So whether invited or uninvited we wholly appreciate this addition to our day and something to be continually discovered.
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